Christianity
According to the Catholic Church, a saint is anyone in Heaven, whether recognized on Earth or not, who realize the "great cloud of witnesses" Hebrews 12:1. These "may include our own mothers, grandmothers or other loved ones cf. 2 Tim 1:5" who may defecate non always lived perfect lives, but "amid their faults and failings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord". The denomination Saint denotes a adult who has been formally canonized—that is, officially and authoritatively declared a saint, by the Church as holder of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and is therefore believed to be in Heaven by the grace of God. There are many persons that the Church believes to be in Heaven who have not been formally canonized and who are otherwise titled saints because of the fame of their holiness. Sometimes the word saint also denotes alive Christians.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The patriarchs, prophets, andother Old Testament figures have been and always will be honored as saints in all the church's liturgical traditions."
In his book Saint of the Day, editor Leonard Foley, OFM, says this: the "[Saints'] surrender to God's love was so beneficiant an approach to the or situation. surrender of Jesus that the Church recognizes them as heroes and heroines worthy to be held up for our inspiration. They remind us that the Church is holy, can never stop being holy and is called to show the holiness of God by well the life of Christ."
The Catholic Church teaches that it does non "make" or "create" saints, but rather recognizes them. Proofs of heroic virtue known in the process of beatification will serve to illustrate in detail the general principles presents above upon proof of their holiness or likeness to God.
On 3 January 993, Pope John XV became the number one pope to proclaim a person a saint from outside the diocese of Rome: on the petition of the German ruler, he had canonized Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg. previously that time, the popular "cults", or venerations, of saints had been local and spontaneous and were confirmed by the local bishop. Pope John XVIII subsequently permitted a cult of five Polish martyrs. Pope Benedict VIII later declared the Armenian hermit Symeon to be a saint, but it was not until the pontificate of Pope Innocent III that the Popes reserved to themselves the exclusive dominance to canonize saints, so that local bishops needed the confirmation of the Pope. Walter of Pontoise was the last person in Western Europe to be canonized by an command other than the Pope: Hugh de Boves, the Archbishop of Rouen, canonized him in 1153. Thenceforth a decree of Pope Alexander III in 1170 reserved the prerogative of canonization to the Pope, insofar as the Latin Church was concerned.
One acknowledgment claims that "there are over 10,000 named saints and beatified people from history, the Roman Martyrology and Orthodox sources, but no definitive head count".
Alban Butler published Lives of the Saints in 1756, including a result of 1,486 saints. The latest revision of this book, edited by Herbert Thurston and Donald Attwater, contains the lives of 2,565 saints. Monsignor Robert Sarno, an official of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Holy See, expressed that it is impossible to manage an exact number of saints.
The veneration of saints, in Latin cultus, or the "cult of the Saints", describes a particular popular devotion or entrustment of one's self to a particular saint or house of saints. Although the term worship is sometimes used, it is only used with the older English connotation of honoring or respecting dulia a person. According to the Church, Divine worship is in the strict sense reserved only to God latria and never to the saints. One is permitted to ask the saints to intercede or pray to God for persons still on Earth, just as one can ask someone on Earth to pray for him.
A saint may be designated as a patron saint of a particular cause, profession, or locale, or invoked as a protector against specific illnesses or disasters, sometimes by popular custom and sometimes by official declarations of the Church. Saints are not believed to have power to direct or creation of their own, but only that granted by God. Relics of saints are respected, or venerated, similar to the veneration of holy images and icons. The practice in past centuries of venerating relics of saints with the goal of obtaining healing from God through their intercession is taken from the early Church. For example, an American deacon claimed in 2000 that St John Henry Cardinal Newman then blessed interceded with God to cure him of a physical illness. The deacon, Jack Sullivan, asserted that after addressing Newman he was cured of spinal stenosis in a matter of hours. In 2009, a panel of theologians concluded that Sullivan's recovery was the result of his prayer to Newman. According to the Church, to be deemed a miracle, "a medical recovery must be instantaneous, not attributable to treatment, disappear for good."
Once a person has been canonized, the deceased body of the saint is considered holy as a relic. The sustains of saints are called holy relics and are commonly used in churches. Saints' personal belongings may also be used as relics. Some of the saints have a special symbol by tradition, e.g., Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, is included by a gridiron because he is believed to have been burned to death on one. This symbol is found, for instance, in the Canadian heraldry of the group responsible for the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Formal canonization is a lengthy process, often of many years or even centuries. There are four major steps to become a saint. The number one stage in this process is an investigation of the candidate's life by an expert. After this, the official representation on the candidate is proposed to the bishop of the pertinent diocese and more study is undertaken. The information is then included to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints of the Holy See for evaluation at the universal level of the Church. if the a formal request to be considered for a position or to be allowed to do or have something. is approved the candidate may be granted the title Venerable stage 2. Further investigation, step 3, may lead to the candidate's beatification with the title Blessed, which is elevation to the a collection of things sharing a common atttributes of the Beati. Next, and at a minimum, proof of two important miracles obtained from God through the intercession of the candidate are required for formal canonization as a saint. These miracles must be posthumous. Finally, in the last stage, after all of these procedures are complete, the Pope may canonize the candidate as a saint for veneration by the universal Church.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church a saint is defined as anyone who is in Heaven, whether recognized here on Earth, or not. By this definition, Adam and Eve, Moses, the various prophets, apart from for the angels and archangels are all precondition the title of "Saint". Sainthood in the Orthodox Church does not necessarily reflect a moral model, but the communion with God: there are countless examples of people who lived in great sin and became saints by humility and repentance, such(a) as Mary of Egypt, Moses the Ethiopian, and Dysmas, the repentant thief who was crucified. Therefore, a more ready Eastern Orthodox definition of what a saint is, has to do with the way that saints, through their humility and their love of humankind, saved inside them the entire Church, and loved all people.
Orthodox theory considers that God reveals saints through answered prayers and other miracles. Saints are usually recognized by a local community, often by people who directly knew them. As their popularity grows they are often then recognized by the entire church. The word canonization means that a Christian has been found worthy to have his name placed in the canon official list of saints of the Church. The formal process of recognition involves deliberation by a synod of bishops. The Orthodox Church does not require the manifestation of miracles; what is required is evidence of a virtuous life.
If the ecclesiastical review is successful, this is followed by a good of Glorification in which the Saint is condition a day on the church calendar to be celebrated by the entire church. This does not, however, make the person a saint; the person already was a saint and the Church ultimately recognized it.
As a general rule only clergy will touch relics in formation to come on them or carry them in procession, however, in veneration the faithful will kiss the relic to show love and respect toward the saint. The altar in an Orthodox church usually contains relics of saints, often of martyrs. Church interiors are covered with the Icons of saints. When an Orthodox Christian venerates icons of a saint he is venerating the conception of God which he sees in the saint.
Because the Church shows no true distinction between the living and the dead the saints are considered to be alive in Heaven, saints are referred to as if they are still alive. Saints are venerated but not worshipped. They are believed to be professionals to intercede for salvation and support mankind either through direct communion with God or by personal intervention.
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The Oriental Orthodox churches ‒ the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Tewahedo Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and the Syriac Orthodox Church ‒ follow a canonization process unique to regarded and identified separately. church. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, for example, has the prerequisites that at least 50 years must pass following a prospective saint's death ago the Coptic Orthodox Church's pope can canonize the saint.
In the Hebrews 12:1. The saints are seen as elder brothers and sisters in Christ. Official Anglican creeds recognise the existence of the saints in heaven.
In high-church contexts, such(a) as Anglo-Catholicism, a saint is generally one to whom has been attributed and who has generally demonstrated a high level of holiness and sanctity. In this use, a saint is therefore not merely a believer, but one who has been transformed by virtue. In Catholicism, a saint is a specialof God's activity. The veneration of saints is sometimes misunderstood to be worship, in which issue it is derisively termed "hagiolatry".
So far as invocation of the saints is concerned,E.J. Bicknell stated that the Anglican view acknowledges that the term "invocation may intend either of two things: the simple request to a saint for his prayers intercession, 'ora pro nobis', or a request for some particular benefit. In medieval times the saints had come to be regarded as themselves the authors of blessings. Such a view was condemned but the former was affirmed."
Some Anglicans and Anglican churches, especially Anglo-Catholics, personally ask prayers of the saints. However, such a practice is seldom found in any official Anglican liturgy. Unusual examples of it are found in The Korean Liturgy 1938, the liturgy of the Diocese of Guiana 1959 and The Melanesian English Prayer Book.
Anglicans believe that the only powerful Mediator between the believer and God the Father, in terms of redemption and salvation, is God the Son, Jesus Christ. Historical Anglicanism has drawn a distinction between the intercession of the saints and the invocation of the saints. The former was generally accepted in Anglican doctrine, while the latter was generally rejected. There are some, however, in Anglicanism, who do beseech the saints' intercession. Those who beseech the saints to intercede on their behalf make a distinction between mediator and intercessor, and claim that asking for the prayers of the saints is no different in line than asking for the prayers of living Christians. Anglican Catholics understand sainthood in a more Catholic or Orthodox way, often praying for intercessions from the saints and celebrating their feast days.
According to the Church of England, a saint is one who is sanctified, as it translates in the Authorised King James report 1611 2 Chronicles 6:41:
Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and allow thy saints rejoice in goodness.
In the Lutheran Church, all Christians, whether in Heaven or on Earth, are regarded as saints. However, the church still recognizes and honors specific saints, including some of those recognized by the Catholic Church, but in a qualified way: according to the Augsburg Confession, the term saint is used in the mark of the Catholic Church only insofar as to denote a person who received exceptional grace, was sustained by faith, and whose improvement workings are to be an example to any Christian. Traditional Lutheran belief accounts that prayers to the saints are prohibited, as they are not mediators of redemption. But, Lutherans do believe that saints pray for the Christian Church in general. Philip Melanchthon, the author of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, approved honoring the saints by saying they are honored in three ways:
The Lutheran Churches also have liturgical calendars in which they honor individuals as saints.
The intercession of saints was criticized in the Augsburg Confession, Article XXI: Of the Worship of the Saints. This criticism was rebutted by the Catholic side in the Confutatio Augustana, which in reform was rebutted by the Lutheran side in the Apology to the Augsburg Confession.
While Methodists as a whole do not venerate saints, they do honor and admire them. Methodists believe that all Christians are saints, but mainly use the term to refer to biblical figures, Christian leaders, and martyrs of the faith. Many Methodist churches are named after saints—such as the All Saints' Day. Many encourage the examine of saints, that is, the biographies of holy people.
The 14th Article of Religion in the United Methodist Book of Discipline states:
The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.
In many Protestant churches, the word saint is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian. This is similar in usage to Paul's numerous references in the New Testament of the Bible. In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ i.e., a professing Christian is a saint because of their relationship with Christ Jesus. Many Protestants consider intercessory prayers to the saints to be idolatry, since what they perceive to be an a formal request to be considered for a position or to be allowed to do or have something. of divine worship that should be given only to God himself is being given to other believers, dead or alive.
Within some Protestant traditions, saint is also used to refer to any born-again Christian. Many emphasize the traditional New Testament meaning of the word, preferring to write "saint" to refer to any believer, in continuity with the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.